For the past several weeks until last Tuesday, there was a variety show on foreigners speaking / learning Mandarin. The foreigners come from places like United States, Romania, Israel, exotic places where there is hardly any Chinese people around, and no exposure to Mandarin. Yet these people are able to speak better Mandarin than me, what a shame (on my part)!
Of course their Mandarin is not perfect. They still need help in sentence construction and usage. And they are still unfamiliar with our local slang. But their pronunciation is very good already, hardly any foreign accent, they speak as if they are native speakers! That is why they put me to shame, as for someone who had been learning the language all the way until secondary and with parents who are Chinese-educated until pre-university, I still cannot pronounce the words properly!
Come to think of it, locals here are a narrow-minded and shallow lot. They always think they are the best, look down on others, but many people here cannot even speak English or Mandarin properly, despite coming from a bilingual education background. Some of the better educated people from so-called "lesser" countries can speak fluent English, and several other languages!
There are more and more people around the world learning Chinese, be it in speech or usage. If we do not upgrade and keep up, soon we will be left behind. Which is why I enjoy talking to someone more seasoned and worldly, but it is very rare to find a local here that is like that. Many I come across are too sheltered in their own worlds. They do not think of upgrading, yet get threatened by those who are too capable! Perhaps that is why these are the people who never improve and get left behind after a while, which is not a good sign for them.
Of course their Mandarin is not perfect. They still need help in sentence construction and usage. And they are still unfamiliar with our local slang. But their pronunciation is very good already, hardly any foreign accent, they speak as if they are native speakers! That is why they put me to shame, as for someone who had been learning the language all the way until secondary and with parents who are Chinese-educated until pre-university, I still cannot pronounce the words properly!
Come to think of it, locals here are a narrow-minded and shallow lot. They always think they are the best, look down on others, but many people here cannot even speak English or Mandarin properly, despite coming from a bilingual education background. Some of the better educated people from so-called "lesser" countries can speak fluent English, and several other languages!
There are more and more people around the world learning Chinese, be it in speech or usage. If we do not upgrade and keep up, soon we will be left behind. Which is why I enjoy talking to someone more seasoned and worldly, but it is very rare to find a local here that is like that. Many I come across are too sheltered in their own worlds. They do not think of upgrading, yet get threatened by those who are too capable! Perhaps that is why these are the people who never improve and get left behind after a while, which is not a good sign for them.
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